An orphaned fox is found by Big Mama (voiced by Pearl Bailey), Boomer (voiced by Paul Winchell), and Dinky (voiced by Dick Bakalyan) is led to the Widow Tweed (voiced by Jeannette Nolan). Named Tod (voiced by Keith Mitchell), the fox soon meets the hound puppy of Amos Slade (voiced by Jack Albertson). Tod and Copper (voiced by Corey Feldman) become fast friends and spend their days playing together. When winter comes, Amos, Copper, and Amos’ other dog Chief (voiced by Pat Buttram) head off for a hunting trip. As winter passes, Tod (now voiced by Mickey Rooney) gets older and finds Copper (now voiced by Kurt Russell) has come back as a hunting dog. When Chief is hurt chasing Tod, Copper vows to hunt down his best friend no matter what.

I think I can take him! (Hounds aren’t always the brightest dogs)

Directed by Ted Berman, Richard Rich, and Art Stevens, The Fox and the Hound is the twenty-fourth movie in Walt Disney’s Animated Classic series. Preceded by The Rescuers in 1977, The Fox and the Hound was followed by The Black Cauldron in 1985.

The Fox and the Hound was the Disney movie when I was young so I have a certain soft spot for it. Both Copper and Tod are a bit undeveloped (it appears that they only met once or twice before becoming friends for life). That being said, it is possible for kids to become best friends after one or two meetings. The friendship however does feel genuine by the end when both Tod and Copper are willing to sacrifice each other for each other. The movie still gets to me, but when I was little I found it quite sad. I also find it pretty heartless how Tod is left in the woods since he was taught no life skills by the Widow Tweed…he can’t hunt or find shelter. I don’t care if she sings a sad song about how they had fun times together, that is why a wild animal is never a pet.

The shocking director cut has Copper barking “He’s mine!” and then ripping out Tod’s throat right in front of Amos

The animation on The Fox and the Hound is so-so. A new Blu-Ray transfer has cleared it up and brought out the colors, but the style of animation used (similar to The Jungle Book, but a little more advanced) isn’t my favorite Disney animation. The characters are very typical of the time and almost generic in that sense though I do love the animation on the bear sequence.

The Fox and the Hound might have problems, but since it was popular when I was young, I can forgive it. I had a ton of merchandise and was a huge fan…though I never got to see it in the theater. The Disney wheels of promotion however were already greased at this point…you didn’t need to see the movie to like it…you had the books, records, etc. The Fox and the Hound is better than some of the Disney movies around that time, but it is still is a flawed, entertaining film. The Fox and the Hound was followed by The Fox and the Hound 2 in 2006.

Follow me on Twitter @JPRoscoe76! Loves all things pop-culture especially if it has a bit of a counter-culture twist. Plays video games (basically from the start when a neighbor brought home an Atari 2600), comic loving (for almost 30 years), and a true critic of movies. Enjoys the art house but also isn't afraid to let in one or two popular movies at the same time.